False Impressions
by Clara Fonteyn
Summary: Annabeth Chase, a small town girl from Virginia, moves to New York to be a model. She meets Percy Jackson, marine biologist, and Luke Castellan, a mysterious and dashing model at The Backbiter...but will she get who she wants? AU. Somewhat OOC.
1. Spilling

**Well, hello. What are you doing here? Oh, you want to read the story? It's right there…no, not **_**there**_**…yes, right there, below the disclaimer…**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

Annabeth looked across the stifling, tiny apartment that was filled with musty cardboard boxes. It was hard to see how much stuff you had until you moved out of your parent's house. About the only things that were unpacked were the iPod dock and the radio. Both were plugged in, ready to go; Annabeth needed music around her 24/7.

"Which one?" she wondered out loud. After deciding that she was sick of her iPod, she spent the better part of an hour finding a good radio station. Recognizing the song that was playing, she went at it, at first setting up the house, then putting all her things away, singing the whole time. Performing was _her_ thing.

While setting up the desk and easel, she felt a pang. It had been a hard decision between architecture and modeling, but the offer from The Backbiter brand had tipped the scales. It was too good to refuse. Everyone knew that the biggest fashion designers—and hottest models—worked under the owner, Luke Castellan. It wasn't often that he contacted models personally. Actually, it was unheard of. But apparently, he'd made an exception for Annabeth, and everybody on the playing field was talking about it.

Even though she'd never met the guy, he had written to her. It wasn't a photocopied letter; it was handwritten, a neat, organized handwriting in blue ink that declared Annabeth was going to be the next showstopper. She pretty much had it made, and because of that, half the models she kept in contact with had stopped talking to her. The other half had become sickly sweet, hoping to win favor—and a bigger part, so to speak—with the next top model.

Annabeth tried to put it all out of her head, and succeeded…kind of. The dance lessons she'd taken since she was four were coming in handy. She knew how to focus exactly on what she was trying to do. In just a few hours, the apartment was clean. The TV and phone were set up, the bed was in place in the upstairs room, the sofa was facing the TV, and every little thing was in place.

Annabeth let out a sigh and headed for the kitchen. It was a high risk she was taking, cooking for herself. She had no idea how to make anything beyond toasting bread and coffee. Heading to the coffee maker, she decided to make herself a cup, and a few minutes later, she was pushing aside the white curtains and stepping onto the balcony.

She took a sip of the coffee…and promptly spit it out. "Ugh!" she sighed. It was disgusting. She tipped the rest of the liquid off of the balcony.

"Hey!" somebody yelled.

"Oh, damn," swore Annabeth softly. Leaning over the balcony, she saw a guy whose face was tilted up, trying to keep the hot liquid off his clothes. He looked…well, not happy. His eyes were green, but it was impossible to tell what color hair he had, because it was now covered with Annabeth's rejected coffee.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled. "Can't you see that somebody's walking down here? And why are you dumping coffee around, anyway?"

"I am so sorry!" yelled Annabeth. "I'll be right down!" She spun around and ran into her apartment, sliding the balcony door behind her. She rushed out of the apartment, making sure to grab her keys before she did.

In another minute, she was right below her balcony, standing behind the poor guy who she'd spilled the coffee on. Another guy was there, laughing his head off.

"Shut up, Nico," growled Mr. Coffee. "Shut up!"

Nico, the one with black hair and black eyes, kept laughing. "You come out of the building and you see your cousin, his face covered in coffee, yelling at the sky, you'd be laughing too!"

Mr. Coffee frowned and his cheeks reddened. "I wasn't yelling at the sky, I was yelling at that girl! She spilled the stuff on me!" Nico just kept laughing.

"Um, hi?" started Annabeth. The two of them turned to the main door, where she was standing. Coffee head scowled. Nico grinned in delight.

"Well, _hello_," said Nico. Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Good day to you too! Wait, what _too_? I was having an excellent day till you dumped a bucket of coffee on my head—believe me, I'm having anything but a 'good' day now!"

"I'm really sorry! I didn't see you walking there. I—"

"Oh, sure; if it had fallen on my face, then you'd be 'very sorry'. If it had fallen on my suit," he gestured to his clothes, "then you'd be 'very very sorry!"

"Well, I am saying sorry, right?" said Annabeth. This guy was really annoying her. "It _didn't_ fall on your clothes."

"It could have, very easily!"

"But it didn't, did it?" interjected Nico.

Annabeth pointed at him. "I like you."

"Oh good, now you can both ride off in the sunset to your pretty pink castle on your frickin' noble steed!" said Coffee head.

"Okay, look, man," said Nico. "It didn't fall on your oh-so-special suit, and it didn't cover your oh-so-handsome face. All it did was land on your hair, and that needed to be washed anyway. It was an accident. Besides, she did apologize, didn't she? So just let it go."

With a glare at her, Mr. Coffee allowed his cousin to lead him away. Annabeth turned and headed inside. She needed coffee. Preferably not coffee that _she_ had made.

***

"Thalia?" Annabeth asked. Thalia was one of the models who had actually kept talking to Annabeth after she'd been 'hired'. With her black hair and electric blue eyes, she was a fierce contrast to Annabeth's angelic blonde hair and gray eyes. Still, she was one of the lead models with her strong, wild beauty.

They had actually met at the auditions, and kept in touch through e-mail. Thalia had moved to New York a couple of weeks ago.

"Yeah, Annabeth?"

"Thalia," said Annabeth into the phone while devouring a granola bar. "Do you know where the nearest Starbucks is?"

"I thought you could make coffee."

"I can. Unfortunately, the last of it is now on some poor guy's head."

After a pause, Thalia burst out laughing. "What? Okay, give me your apartment address. I'll be there in a minute."

Annabeth gave Thalia the address and then went to change. While brushing her hair, her eyes fell on the small white box on the dresser—color contacts. The modeling agency had asked her to wear brown colored contacts at all time she was in public, so that people wouldn't recognize her.

"But I don't start modeling till next month!" she'd protested.

"It's better that you get used to them now," answered the redhead behind the counter. She shoved a couple of boxes in her hands and said, "The Company will take care of the charges."

They'd also asked that she wear a wig, but she had refused bluntly. "I'm not going to have 24/7 bed head." At that, the middle aged lady sighed and allowed her to pass with just the lenses. Annabeth knew that she really shouldn't have turned down the wig, but come on! It was taking things to an extreme.

Now, she popped the lenses in, and looking at herself in the mirror, she admitted that they really did make a difference. Even though the color was a muddy brown, Annabeth looked completely different.

The knocker banged against the door downstairs, echoing against the bare walls of the apartment. "Coming," called Annabeth. She clattered down the steps into her living room and opened the door.

Thalia was wearing her contacts, too, her pretty eyes covered up with an ugly, neon-like brand of green. True to her goth self, she was wearing a black sweatshirt and black tights.

"Jeez, why are you so _preppy_?" asked Thalia, wrinkling her nose. "It makes me sick."

Annabeth looked down at her white sweater and blue jeans. "I'm not preppy, I'm normal. Ever heard of that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Somebody told me I was normal, once…I think it was on April Fools Day."

"Oh, gee, I wonder why." Annabeth's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "It's not like dressing in black on a daily basis is _weird_ or anything."

"Whatever. Come on, café, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"And you have to tell me about this poor guy who's walking around with coffee on his head."

"Oh, joy."

**Any thoughts, comments, concerns, or otherwise?**** Click on that Green Button that says, "Review this Story/Chapter" for free attention!** No more hassle of buying stamps, dialing numbers, or e-mailing some corporate! Just press that *magical* green button!


	2. Meeting

**So…how's it going? Good? Good! **

_Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. _

*

*

*

"So lemme get this straight," laughed Thalia. "You didn't like your coffee and so you spilled it on some random guy?"

"I didn't spill it on him on _purpose_," growled Annabeth. "It was an _accident_!"

"Yeah, well, whatever. I doubt that he even remembers you. Besides, it's not like you're ever going to see him again!"

"Yeah," agreed Annabeth. "Yeah, you're right. So, let's talk about something else."

"Sure." Thalia looked up from her coffee, which she was sprinkling a packet of sweetener into.

The two of them were in a tiny coffeehouse, not a big chain like Starbucks. It was a nice place, warm and cozy. Overstuffed armchairs only added to the image. There was even a small courtyard outside, with Victorian-style twisted metal chairs that were covered in December snow.

They talked about small things for a while, and then Thalia asked, "When are you going sightseeing? It's your first time in New York, right?"

"Well, I've been here before, but that was a while ago. I want to see the Metro, the Statue of Liberty, and of course the Empire State Building."

"You're such a nerd," chuckled Thalia. "Why would you wanna see the Metropolitan _Museum_?"

"If I'm a nerd, then you're goth!" protested Annabeth.

"Hey, I'm not goth, I'm ninja!"

"No, you're weird," smirked Annabeth. "And now I'm going to get something to drink because so far all I've had is this cookie."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll be outside, in the car. Come out soon!" ordered Thalia, and then she was gone. Annabeth shook her head good-naturedly and headed towards the counter in the back.

*

*

*

"What should I get?" asked Annabeth of nobody in particular.

"Try the caramel brulée latte," suggested the green-eyed, black-haired guy behind the counter. Annabeth started. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"It's okay," smiled Annabeth. "So…the caramel brulée, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty good. Well, I think so," he said.

"Okay," agreed Annabeth. "Sure, that's what I'll get then."

He smiled at her and said, "Gimme a minute." He was back in a minute with the drink. "Here," he offered it to her. She took a sip.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed.

"Isn't it?"

"Thanks for the suggestion," said Annabeth. "Hey, what's your name?"

"I'm Percy," he introduced himself.

"Yeah?" she asked. "I once knew a guy named Percy."

"It's not such a common name," he remarked. "Speaking of, what's _your_ name?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to say, 'Annabeth Chase,' but then she thought that if the company wanted her to wear a wig, then they certainly wouldn't like her giving out her name in public.

"I'm Ann," she said, shoving her hand into her pocket shyly, hiding the old silver-coloured ring on her first finger. It had been given to her from a childhood friend. In fact, it was given to her by the Percy she spoke of.

"Nice to meet you, Ann," said Percy. Annabeth nodded, and probably would have said something, but just then, Thalia tooted her car's horn outside impatiently. Almost everyone in the small café turned to look at the ostentatious yellow convertible. Annabeth blushed.

"Um, I better go," she said, but then hesitated. It seemed rude to cut off the conversation. On a last minute thought, she snatched a napkin from the holder and pulled out a small blue pen from her pocket. She wrote down her number on it quickly, along with the name 'Ann'.

"Here," she thrust it at Percy. "I'll talk to you later." She rushed out of the café, leaving a slightly muddled look on his face.

*

*

*

"Jeez, Annabeth, you _gave him your number_?" asked Thalia incredulously.

Annabeth blushed and asked, "Yeah, why?" defensively.

"Do you even know his first name?"

"Yeah. He's Percy."

"Fine," Thalia admitted. "Do you know his _last_ name?"

"Well…not quite." Thalia laughed at Annabeth.

"Does_ he_ know _your_ name?"

"Um, well, I told him I was Ann."

"_Ann_?"

"Look, if they wanted us to wear a wig and contacts, then they'd just _love_ us giving our names out, right?" Annabeth said sarcastically.

Thalia frowned. "Does that mean I shouldn't have told that guy who I was and where I live?" Annabeth almost spit out her latte. Thalia cackled. (Thalia never laughed, she _cackled_.) "Nah, I'm just kidding. I didn't tell anyone anything. But come on, if you guys keep in touch, then he's going to find out your real name someday."

"No, he won't," declared Annabeth. "Well, maybe I'll tell him _later_, but he won't find out until I tell him," she said with conviction.

"Okay, if you're sure," said Thalia skeptically. "Good luck. So where do you want to go now?"

"Back home."

"_Why_? Why do you want to go home?"

"My stomach hurts. I feel sick," lied Annabeth. Nothing was wrong with her. She just wanted to go back to her apartment, and all of a sudden Thalia was irritating her. She knew that Thalia wouldn't let her leave easily, so she lied about being sick.

"_O_kay," said Thalia, stretching the word over two syllables. "Okay, I'll take you back. But I'll drop by this evening, okay? The nightlife here is amazing…and today's New Year's Eve. It'll be fantastic. Believe me, New York is totally different at night."

**Hey, just a little bit longer to 1910…whoops, I mean 2010! Ah…2009 was a great year…**

…**half the stupidity was caught on You Tube, and the rest in Reader's Digest!**


	3. Surprising

Hello.

DON'T KILL ME! *Cowers*

I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but things got…crazy. And plus, I got grounded…ugh.

So…

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

*******

_**So long since you've been missing**_

_**Its good to see you again**_

_**How you how you doing**_

_**And how about we don't let this happen again.**_

—**Do You Remember by Jay Sean.**

*******

"Look, I don't want to come!" argued Annabeth. "I don't want to go out tonight!"

"Oh, come on," Thalia said into the phone. "What's the point of being in New York if you're not going to party?"

"Um…I don't know, and I don't really care, Thalia. I don't want to come!" Annabeth all but yelled into the sleek silver cell phone and slammed it shut before Thalia had a chance to respond.

Usually, Thalia was a great friend, but…Annabeth was just sick of her now. Thalia had been talking constantly and now…well, Annabeth wasn't angry, just annoyed. She _had_ wanted to go out that night, but not if it meant hanging out with Thalia. And now her plans were ruined.

Just then the phone rang again. Annabeth sighed dramatically and picked up. "I don't want to go to whatever club it is!"

"Good to know," came an amused voice. "And I suppose I should be offended?"

"Excuse me?" Annabeth blushed as she frowned in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"Well, not really. But we met—kind of—at the café today, remember?"

"Oh, you're Percy," exclaimed Annabeth. "I'm sorry about today—"

"No, don't worry about it. I don't mind. Actually, it was the most exciting thing that happened to me today," he said ruefully.

"I guess a job at a coffee shop isn't that exciting."

"Part-time job," he corrected. "I actually go to college and have this job part-time."

"Really?" Annabeth's chest tightened uncomfortably. "I was going to go to college. I mean, I _am_, at Columbia, but only part-time, I guess. I want to be an architect," she confessed suddenly.

"I want to be a photographer," said Percy. "But…but my dad wants me to be a marine biologist, so that's what I'm going to be."

"Yeah? How come? I mean, marine biology?"

"Something about family pride and history. Really though, I don't want it. I don't want any of the stupid family pride."

"I can sympathize," agreed Annabeth. Her own mother had wanted her, at first, to be an architect. But then, when she saw that Annabeth actually had a chance at modeling, and then, when she saw her paycheck, she was completely enthusiastic about it. Really, though, it made Annabeth sick.

"Yeah? I guess everyone's been pushed into something by their parents." There was an awkward silence. "Hey, when you picked up the phone?" asked Percy.

"Yeah, what about it?" answered Annabeth.

"Was what you said intended just for whoever you thought I was, or was it a general statement?"

"That I don't want to go out? It was just intended for my friend, Thalia. She was the one you saw with the convertible today outside the café. I wouldn't mind going out, though."

"Really? In that case, you know about this place called Times Square?" Percy teased.

"Yes, I know that place called Times Square," Annabeth stated wryly. "I know a thing or two about it, at least."

"Do you know about this tiny little store near it? It's like an antique store."

"No. What's it called?"

"Silva's."

"Oh," Annabeth said, waiting for him to go on.

"Yeah."

"Well, what about it?" asked Annabeth rather impatiently. "Is it a bomb shelter? Built on a graveyard? Was somebody murdered there? Did somebody get married there? Did you first ask a girl out there? Do you own it?"

"Will you stop?"

"Unless you tell me what you want with it, no."

"Jeez. I just wanted to know if you wanted to meet me there in, like, half an hour."

"Um…" Annabeth hesitated.

"That's okay," said Percy quickly. "I get it."

"No! I mean, sure, I'd like that," accepted Annabeth. She knew that she really shouldn't be going anywhere with a complete stranger, but this felt…okay. Like she knew him, maybe in a past life. Something like that, anyway. "Where exactly did you say it was?"

*

*

*

Raucous laughter greeted Annabeth as she got near the small shop. Looking around, she saw that it was coming from the club near it, probably just like the one Thalia would be at. Annabeth shook her head. It was already dark, as was typical of winter, but the store was close by. Still, she hastened her steps and was soon in the warm store.

There was only one other customer in the store, and of course it was him.

"Hey," she exclaimed. "I'm Ann."

"I'm Percy." A grin spread across his face, making him look like a little kid, and Annabeth was momentarily distracted. "Hello?" he asked, waving his hand in front of her face. "You okay?"

Annabeth flushed. "Sorry. It's just that I used to know someone who looked a little like you. The guy I was telling you about, whose name's Percy, too. What did you say your last name was, again?"

"I didn't, but my full name is Percy Jackson."

"_What?_

"My name is Percy Jackson," he repeated slowly, chuckling nervously.

"Percy _Jackson_?" Annabeth clarified.

"You're starting to creep me out, Ann," warned Percy.

"My name isn't Ann," Annabeth shook her head slowly. "Don't you remember me?"

Percy frowned. "Your name isn't Ann?" he asked. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Once a kelp head, always a kelp head," she sighed. She didn't notice Percy's eyes lighting up in recognition.

"_Owl Droppings?_" Percy questioned incredulously. "Annabeth Chase?"

"How'd ya guess," Annabeth drawled.

"Oh, shut up!" Percy grinned. "I can't believe it's _you_!"

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounded?"

"Do you have any idea how corny this whole meeting scene is?"

And of course, there followed the usual nervous laughter.

"Why don't we talk somewhere else?" suggested Annabeth. "It's supposed to snow soon anyway."

"Sure," Percy agreed. "Why don't you come back to my apartment?" Seeing the look on Annabeth's face, he stammered on. "I mean, I know that sounded like a line from a cheesy movie but…"

"It's okay," laughed Annabeth. "You know that Barnes and Noble over on Fifth? How about the Starbucks there?"

"Once an owl head, always an owl head, huh?" Percy teased. "No, I'm just kidding. I know that place. You wouldn't believe how many times I've spent there, studying. Well, more like just talking to Nico and Bianca. You really should meet them. Oh, and you have to meet Conner and Travis!" Annabeth let Percy talk on while she smiled, daft as a daisy. Still trying to get over the fact that she was _here_, in the City, with her best friend, who she was more than a bit irritated…

…And an ex-best friend who was looking good as a prospective candidate for 'Best Friend'. Not bad for a night, Annabeth though to herself.

Maybe she could finally just kick back tonight. And as for that, she might even be able to make that little voice in the back of her head _shut up_. The one that was telling her to tell Percy about her modeling.

*****

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**Sorry that it sucks. I hate writing in third person. Maybe I'll change it to first person.**

**Your opinion, please?**

**Oh, and maybe you'll check out my poll? Maybe even vote, yeah? :D**

**~Clara**

P.S. Did anyone notice the new logo for Fanfiction? I kinda liked the old one better. What about you?


	4. Signing

**Hello! I'm back!**

**I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever. I'm so sorry about that! But I have **_**finally **_**learned how to manage my time. Therefore…updates!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

"So…" she asked. "The bookstore of Barnes and Noble?"

"Sure," he agreed. "But is it okay with you if I meet you there in…oh, half an hour?"

"Okay. There's some work I need to do, too, so I'll meet you there at six-thirty, okay?" she said.

"Yeah, okay," he fixed. "In half an hour. Bye!" he called out on his way out. She waved, smiling to herself.

When he turned to look back, she was gone, too.

***

She walked out of the store briskly, but not unhappily. In another few minutes, she was in front of her apartment building, and stepped into the lobby. "Hello, Charles," she greeted the lobby man cheerfully.

"Mizz Chaze," he returned somberly, in his half-Italian, half-French accent. His darker skin always seemed to be beautiful compared to Annabeth's paler complexion. She always thought he belonged somewhere in the Amazon Rain Forest, exploring.

_Or in a wrestling ring, fighting_, she thought now. He was not a small man.

"Charles," Annabeth paused. "Charles, if somebody wanted to come to my apartment, how would that happen?"

"Like Mizz Graze?" he smiled. "We all know Mizz Graze. We would send her up."

"But if it was someone else? That you didn't recognize?"

"Then we would azk for the name, Mizz Chaze," he replied. "We would intercom you, and azk you if you knew them. If you did, we would send the young woman up. Or young man," he added as an afterthought. "If you didn't know them, we would see no problem in throwing them out onto the sidewalk, head first."

"Thank you, Charles," she smiled wryly. "I hope you wouldn't have to throw anyone out, though."

He smiled bitterly. "I wazn't always a lobby man, Mizz Chaze. Throwing people out of a building would be no problem." The smile seemed to turn sinister, at least in the dim lobby light. Annabeth felt a ripple of fear go up her spine.

New York City was not a child's playpen. New York City was a place where anything could happen. New York City was a place where anything _would _happen. Annabeth preferred not to imagine what had happened in Charles's life. She turned to head towards the elevator, as if also to turn her back on his past.

"Mizz Chaze?" he called. She turned. "You can call me Beckendorf. Everyone elze does."

"All right, then, Beckendorf. Good bye," Annabeth smiled.

"Good bye, Mizz Chaze."

"Call me Annabeth, Beckendorf. Everyone else does."

***

Annabeth punched in Thalia's phone number in her cell phone. The phone rang twice, and then Thalia picked up.

"'Sup?" she picked up.

"Hello," Annabeth said at the same time.

"Hello? When do you live, the fourteenth century?" Annabeth decided to ignore Thalia's jab.

"So what club are you at?" asked Annabeth.

"I'm not at a club. I'm at my house. I'm reading my contract, actually."

"What contract?" asked Annabeth blankly. "Do you have some job I don't know about?"

"Annabeth!" Thalia exclaimed. "Are you alive? You have to take your signed contract to the building tomorrow, don't you know? I told you this morning."

Annabeth vaguely recalled Thalia mentioning something about the contract. "Oh, _crap_! I forgot all about that!"

"Go do it now. It probably won't take you that long."

"Yes, it will. I have dyslexia, like you."

"Well, so does Kiera Knightly. Suck it up and go read and sign the contract. Love ya, bye!" Thalia called into the phone. Annabeth smiled and shook her head, and hung up. She had a thought that she should call Percy and let him know that she wouldn't be able to come.

Unfortunately, that's when she realized that she didn't have his phone number.

"Ugh," she groaned quietly. "Now what?" She called Thalia back, pulling out the think collection of papers at the same time. As she was staring at the hot pink folder in which it was housed, Thalia picked up on the other line.

"Thals," she asked pleadingly. "We've been best friends forever, right?"

"If forever meant two months and four days, then yes, my dear Annabeth, we've been friends forever. What do you want?"

"Is that how you talk to your best friend?" Annabeth asked.

"It is when they're trying to get something out of you. So whatcha want?" laughed Thalia.

"Um…I was wondering if…"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you could tell me the main idea of the contract?"

"For Pete's sake, Annabeth, why can't you read your contract?"

"Um…I have to do something and I don't have enough time…"

"Ugh," Thalia groaned. "Okay. But don't tell anyone! Not only will you lose your contract, I'll lose mine."

"Why? It's the same thing, isn't it?" Annabeth asked.

"Ah, Annabeth, you are naïve, simple girl! It's simple…wait, I don't know either," Thalia sounded puzzled. "Hmm…"

"Whatever, just tell me!"

"Okay…it's pretty basic. I'll tell you in a list.

"Number 1: You can't sign a contract for, or work for, any company other than The Backbiter.

"Number 2: You can't work with designers who are not working through The Backbiter.

"Number 3: You can't talk to anyone who's working for any agency other than The Backbiter.

"Number 4: You can't show up at any shoot—or show—wearing labels.

"Number 5: You can't wear any clothes with a label on them in public, like those tacky shirts they sell at Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch or whatever—"

"So that's the whole thing?" interrupted Annabeth.

"Pretty much, yeah," conferred Thalia. "Not much else."

"Okay. That's not hard. Thanks, Thalia!"

"Yeah, sure. But now you owe me!"

"I know…I'll pay you back, I promise! See you later, Thalia!"

"See ya," chuckled Thalia. "And Annabeth? Have fun at your date."

"It's not a date," Annabeth protested, but Thalia had already hung up. Annabeth shrugged, hung up the phone, and opened the folder, signing the first line with a flourish. Quickly flipping through the entire packet, she finished signing the entire thing.

***

Annabeth headed out the door, changing first into a sweatshirt.

***

Thalia called Annabeth back, but the number went to Annabeth's voicemail. Thalia's voice echoed through the dark, empty apartment.

"Hey, Annabeth? There's another thing on the contract I just read: You can't get married in the time span of the contract, which is three years, and you can't get have a kid in the time span, either.

**End Chapter. **

**Yes, I know it's very short. I'm sorry. But I tried to write this through my Writer's Block, so feel lucky. To make up for it, I will **_**try**_** to update very soon.**

**And now for free advertising:**

Have you read Accident? Do you like False Impressions? If so, you may enjoy my newest story, titled In Time!

Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel try to save Nico and Bianca and Maria from the heartbreak in their past. How? They decide to go back in time. So, they go back to the 1920s in America. How they get there, how they survive in a time long gone, how they manage to blend in, and the most important one: how do they get back? All this and more can be found in the celebrated, Great American Novel, In Time!

**Ahem. How cheesy.**

**Percabeth, as is usual in my writing. But this time, I will have RACHELX… well, you'll have to see who **_**she **_**ends up with.**

**You can help her case by voting on my profile, though! :D**

**Thanks, everyone, and forgive the long author's note, please!**

**~Clara **


	5. Storytelling

_Disclaimer: I don't claim anything. I disclaim it all._

"Hey!" called Annabeth. She dodged a couple of tables and headed towards Percy, who was sitting with a dark haired, shy looking girl and someone who was quite obviously her brother.

"Hey yourself," Percy greeted. "Meet Bianca and Nico DiAngelo. Guys," he directed towards the other two, "This is Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

"I'm Nico, and we're not married," Nico was quick to interject. "We're siblings. Just in case you, you know, thought we were married. In case you wanted to get to know me better," he added with an appreciative smile.

"Nico, shut up and stop being a perv," Bianca said. "Hey, Annabeth. I'm Bianca DiAngelo. And please, don't pay attention to him," she added.

"We have classes together," Percy explained. "We met during biology."

"Biology? I thought we met during philosophy!"

"No, we met in Ancient Cultures," Bianca declared.

"No," Percy insisted. "It was biology. The class Dodds teaches."

"Yes," Nico agreed. "She teaches philosophy."

"No, she teaches Ancient Cultures!" Bianca persisted.

"Wait—are you talking about _Ellen _Dodds?" Annabeth interjected. "She taught at my high school for, like, half a year. I thought she taught calculus." The four launched into a noisy argument.

"Hey, hey, where did you go to high school?" Nico asked.

"In Virginia. Mrs. Dodds just came down for a few months my sophomore year, because the normal teacher was on maternity break—that means she had a kid, Percy—so Mrs. Dodds was our substitute. She was horrible!"

"I _know_ what maternity break means, Annabeth," Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm not four years anymore."

"Sorry," Annabeth smiled, not sounding very sorry. "It's just that I remember you the way you were in second grade. I mean, you didn't know how to subtract. No offence, of course."

"_Remember_?" Nico asked. "Wait, you knew each other before?"

"Yup," Percy replied, popping the_ p._ "It's a long story. Our families were family friends. Actually, her mom and my dad didn't like each other, but they put up with it."

"Yeah, so we knew each other since we were born. We were really good friends with a Juniper Heartwood and a Grover Underwood."

"We used to make up all sorts of games to play together," remembered Percy. "There was this shallow, inflatable pool that my family had. I think it used to belong to my dad. And then Annabeth's mom had this owl on the outside of her front door. It scared the crap out of all the kids in the neighborhood, except Annabeth."

"Oh yeah, I loved that owl. But once I got so mad at my mom that I left the house and slammed the door so hard that the owl got dented. Now it looks more like a demented bear, Percy. You should go see it."

By that time, they had pretty much lost track of what Nico and Bianca were doing. They were too busy reminiscing about their childhood. Just then, Nico asked, "So any embarrassing memories I can torture Percy with, Annabeth?"

"Hell yeah! Okay, there was this one time we both got ice-cream and devoured it in a couple of minutes. Percy had the bright idea of going swimming."

Recognition sparked in Percy's eyes. "Anna_beth!_ Don't tell them about that time!"

"Oh, shut up," Annabeth joked, caught up in the story. "So anyway, I was like 'No, that's a bad idea.' But then he's like, 'That's okay, I'm a good swimmer.'"

"So she just sat by the pool in her frilly pink swimsuit—with a ton of sun block on, of course—while I swam a few laps."

"Yeah, and then he started getting tired. He said his stomach hurt. Percy tried to swim out to the edge of the pool, but his stomach just hurt too much. It was because he had had that ice-cream and then didn't wait an hour before swimming."

"Wait," Bianca interrupted. "If you thought you were going to drown, then why didn't you yell out to Annabeth to come pull you out?"

"I _did_!" Percy glowered at Annabeth. "I yelled 'Annabeth, Annabeth, I'm going to die!'!"

"Wow, man," Nico said. "How eloquent." Percy muttered some unfriendly words.

Annabeth smiled sheepishly. "Yeah…I was reading a book. I was reading _Anne of Green Gables_, and I guess I got kind of lost in it…"

"Well, you found your way out of the book…when exactly?"

"_After_ I collapsed in front of her, half drowned and throwing up!" Percy said indignantly.

"Hey, I told you not to go swimming," Annabeth started.

"Oh, so it was my fault?"

"Yes it was! You knew all too well that you shouldn't go swimming until an _hour_ after eating. You didn't even wait five minutes!"

"Okay, okay," Nico intervened before Percy could say anything. "Now that I've heard an embarrassing story about Percy, I want to hear one about Annabeth!"

"Oh, I can think of a lot," Percy mused. "There was the time she got lost in the library, the time she forgot about her birthday, the time she and Ben—" he was cut off with a savage shriek.

"Percy _Jackson_! You will not tell that story if you value your life!"

"Oh, come on," Percy cajoled.

"Not a chance."

"What if I just _hint_—"

"No!"

"Okay, okay, jeez," Percy rolled his eyes. "I'll tell about the time we got married."

"Oh god, no!" Annabeth laughed. "Well, that's less embarrassing…"

***

"Annabeth, I need to talk to your daddy," said Percy. Annabeth nodded solemnly.

"He's inside. He's working on his planes," replied Annabeth. The two four year olds walked into the library, where Frederick Chase was 'working' with his model planes. As a professor of aviation at the local college, he had to know his planes and historical reenactments.

From the kitchen, Annabeth's mother smiled the tiniest bit and headed into the hallway. Although she didn't really like Percy Jackson, she didn't hate him, either. Besides, she didn't want to miss the look on her husband's face when Percy asked him for Annabeth's hand in marriage.

"Mr. Chase, I need to talk to you," said Percy. "It's imp-impr-" After a few mispronunciations, he gave up. "I mean, I need to talk to you right now."

"Well, what is it?" asked Frederick. He didn't know that he was only a few moments away from being asked to marry off his [four-year-old] daughter to the neighbor kid [who also happened to be four].

"Can I marry Annabeth? I'll take care of her after we are, and I promise that there won't be any kissy business," At the statement, Frederick went off into gales of laughter.

"Dad?" asked Annabeth. She didn't call him 'dad' unless she was really annoyed. "Why are you laughing?"

"Oh…oh…" answered her father. "No, no, it's fine. Sure, you can marry Annabeth, Percy."

----

Ten minutes later, Frederick wasn't very happy. He, Annabeth's mom, Alyssa, Percy's dad, Philip, and Percy's mom, Sally, were all sitting on plastic chairs between their lawns, watching Grover 'marry' their children. Grover's parents were there as well. Although all the women thought it was cute, none of the men were too psyched to be there.

"Do you, Percy Jackson take Annabeth Chase to be your awfully wedded wife?"

"Grover!" yelled Annabeth. "It's not awful, it's lawful! Get it right," she complained.

"Oh, sorry," answered Grover. "I'll do that over again. Do you, Percy Jackson, take Annabeth Chase as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," nodded Percy.

"And do you, Annabeth Chase, take Percy Jackson to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do!" exclaimed Annabeth. Although neither had gotten dressed up, Annabeth was wearing a white shirt. Despite her massive efforts, unfortunately, Percy had refused to clean himself up any further than tying his shoelaces.

"Okay, then. I _delcare_ you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

"Wait, wait," Frederick couldn't help but interject. "Percy, you said that there wouldn't be any kissy business."

"There won't be," said Percy bewilderedly. In a swooping motion, he lifted Annabeth hand and kissed it. "I saw it in this one movie," he explained. "It was a knight." All the adults laughed.

"Okay. Now all four of us need to go swimming," said Annabeth, including her bridesmaid, Juniper. "We're going to celebrate our honeymoon," she explained to the adults. Once again, they all laughed, and Annabeth's cheeks reddened. She didn't like being laughed at.

"Okay, last one there is a rotten apple!" yelled Grover. He and Juniper ran off towards the pool. The adults went inside to discuss something or the other. They weren't worried about the children; after all, it was just a shallow, inflatable pool. (Even if it had been an Olympic sized pool, there was high doubt that Percy would let anybody drown. He was a natural swimmer if there ever was one. )

Annabeth was about to follow the others, but Percy said, "Annabeth, wait." He reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a box. He handed it to Annabeth. "Open it!" he urged.

She did as he said. Inside, there was a bracelet. It was made of silver links and aqua beads, with an owl charm. "I got it for you, I know how much you like owls," Percy beamed.

"Oooh, it's so pretty!" exclaimed Annabeth. "Put it on!" she commanded, extending her right wrist. Percy complied, sliding the catch and slipping it onto her wrist.

"Thank you," said Annabeth. On a whim, she leaned in and hugged him. "I'll never take it off!" Percy smiled.

"I'm glad you like it," he said shyly. "Now come on! We're supposed to go swimming!" Together, the boisterous pair and best friends ran off towards the inflatable pool.

***

"Oh God, I haven't laughed that hard in ages!" Nico chortled.

"Annabeth, you seriously said that you were going on a honeymoon?" Bianca giggled. "Seriously?"

Nico was in gales of laughter, Bianca was throwing her head back and laughing, Percy was red-faced but grinning wildly, and Annabeth had her head on the table, embarrassedly, and was laughing quietly.

"What happened to that bracelet?" Percy wondered.

"Oh, I still have it," Annabeth held up her left hand, and sure enough, the bracelet was still there.

"Ooh, let me see," Bianca said softly. "It's so…_pretty_." And it was. There were tiny interlinking circles, all silver, set with alternating green sea glass and shiny black obsidian.

While Bianca was studying the bracelet, Annabeth studied Nico. "Nico, have I seen you around somewhere?"

"See, Bianca, she's hitting on me!" Nico crowed.

"No, I'm serious, I think I've seen you somewhere…"

"I don't know," Nico shrugged.

"Of course you don't," Percy agreed. "You hit on too many girls every day to remember one."

"Whatever," Nico said. He was going to continue, when the guy running the store came by.

"Hey, the store is closing," he announced in a gruff voice. "You kids need to skedaddle."

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sir," Annabeth replied. "We'll leave now."

***

Outside, a cold wind ripped through the city. It lifted Bianca's open hair and bit through Annabeth's sweatshirt. "Hey, let me get your phone numbers. We can meet up later," Annabeth suggested. Everyone agreed. After inputting everyone's numbers unto her own cell phone, Annabeth took leave of the three friends and headed home.

_They feel like family,_ she reflected later.

**End Chapter.**

**A/N** I'm getting my writing mojo back! So, what do you think of this chapter? It's long compared to my typical chapters…

Also, I'd like to announce a kind-of contest **Anna145** and I am doing:

"Crusade Against Crap"! As I'm sure many of you have noticed, there has been a hype of horrible fanfictions, with infinte problems including OOc-ness, spelling and grammar 'issues,' and plot holes that you could drop a cow through.

Therefore, we have decided that any story that follows the following requirements:  
1. Perfect spelling  
2. Perfect grammar  
3. Good plot  
4. In character (If set in mythological world)  
5. Strong plot(AU and mythological world)  
6. Realistic (Thalia wouldn't date a guy; Annabeth wouldn't flirt with other guys in order to entice Percy…)  
7. Interesting  
8. Original characters are not Mary-Sues  
9. Creative title  
10. Decent summary  
11. IN CHARACTER  
12. Phrasing  
13. LOGICAL ROMANCE (realistic)  
14. Thought out  
15. NO LEMONS

may be entered. Send either me or **Anna145** a PM letting us know about your fanfic, and the link to it. One of us will look over the story, and see if it is eligible to be entered. If it is, we will allow it access into a special community, and send you a PM saying it is. If it isn't, we'll send you a PM saying that it isn't.

Also, it is possible to nominate another's story! If we find it acceptable, then we will put it in the community, and send both the nominator and the nominee a PM saying that it is in the community. If it is not acceptable, then we will send only the nominator a PM saying that the story was not entered into the community.

Thanks for reading; we hope that we get hundreds of eligible stories! So, write write write!


	6. Gossiping

**Okay. Okay. I know it. Y'all hate me. And I can't blame you. I am so sorry! I know I've kept you all waiting (and if you don't want to read this again, I wouldn't blame you) since…well, March 27? And today is May 13. It's been over a month.**

**On the brighter side…well, actually, I can't think of one. All I can say is…here's the chapter?**

**Oh, and: "Please, don't kill me."**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

"Annabeth!"

"What? Thalia, you have two seconds before I hang up."

"Annabeth! I'm coming to pick you up in about five minutes, and you're not ready yet?"

"Why are you coming over to pick me up, again?"

"Uh, because today we're going to see the Backbiter 'HQ'? And see the CEO? And his cousin, who I may add is _incredibly_ cute. He has blond hair and these blue eyes and he's always dressed in polo shirts and he has a cute smile and…"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Thalia did not get obsessed with boys, so Annabeth knew that this guy had to be something special. Really, Thalia _never_ got obsessed with boys. This was more than a little unusual. It was a phenomenon.

"Oh, and he's always really nice, and he's pretty young, too. I think a year older than me?"

Quietly, Annabeth put her cell phone down, but she could still hear Thalia talking. She rolled her eyes again and thought about meeting Bianca and Nico yesterday. It was nice. They were funny, and Nico was like a little brother. Just…well, a _perverted _little brother.

"He went to a college in Michigan. University of Michigan. You know, where Barrack Obama gave the commencement speech?"

It was nice seeing Percy again, too. The two had been best friends. He had moved away in elementary school, and they had lost touch, but not forgotten about each other. It was good to know that he hadn't become a creepy criminal type.

"Did I describe his smile? Oh, it's amazing. It flashes quickly. You know what it reminds me of? Beads of mercury, flashing out of sight quickly. It's so…endearing…"

_That's it_.

"Thalia! Shut up!"

"What?"

"I have never seen this guy! I do not want to know what he smiles like! And how many times have you seen him?"

"Oh, once," Thalia answered airily.

"Thalie!" Annabeth yelled, using her nickname.

"Okay, okay, fine. I get your point."

"Good. Okay…so what's his name?"

"Luke Castellan."

"Oh…wait, isn't he the CEO?"

"Annabeth, sweetie, no offense, but you're kind of dumb."

"What! How am I dumb?"

"Okay, look. Luke isn't the CEO. His cousin is. Well, I don't know exactly how they're related, but whatever. I think Luke wanted to be something else, a lawyer. But his family wanted him to go into the family business—"

"Him, too?" Annabeth said to herself, adding another name on her list: _Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, and Luke Castellan_.

"What's that? Whatever. So I was saying: I met him the day I went for the orientation or whatever. He's so…"

"Thalia _Grace_!"

"Okay, okay!" Thalia laughed. "God, I love pissing you off. Anyway, I met his cousin, too."

"What's his cousin like?"

"Oh…well, he's something of a character. He has black hair, pale skin, and these strange gold eyes. It's so creepy. And then he's really charismatic, but I don't like him, ironically."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Oh…I don't know. He seems evil. Like Adolf Hitler or Ivan the Terrible or Vlad the Impaler or Attila the Hun or something."

Annabeth blinked. Sometimes, in all of Thalia's fuss and feathers, it was hard to forget how much she knew about history—and evil rulers, apparently.

"But that's not all," Thalia continued via phone. "It's not just that he seems evil like them. It's like…like he's their creator or something. Like…well, not like he's their father, but more like he's their _grandfather_. But he's not old. He's about our age."

"What's his name?"

"Saturn."

_Saturn_. "That's it? He doesn't have any last name?"

"No."

"Wow. He sounds like…well, someone to reckon with."

"Um, yeah. That's one way to put it."

"So, you said you'll drive by to pick me up? In that grandiose red convertible of yours?"

"That's one way to put it," Thalia mocked. "Yes. In fact, I'm setting out in ten minutes, seeing as you haven't even gotten out of bed yet."

"'Kay then," Annabeth said. "I'll be ready, breakfast eaten, in half an hour, so we can leave."

"See ya."

"'Bye."

"All right, I'm ready," Annabeth said, swinging out the apartment buildings main door. "'Bye, Beckendorf," she called to the man sitting behind her.

"Goodbye, Mizz Chaze."

"Hey, Thalia!"

"Get in, we're late," Thalia urged. Annabeth complied and quickly they were off, tires squealing.

"Wow." Annabeth raised her sunglasses and looked at the skyscraper. "_This_ is it?"

"Yup," Thalia grinned. "This is it."

"This place is huh-_uge_," Annabeth stressed. "I feel very…insignificant."

"If you feel insignificant now, wait till you get inside," Thalia promised. Annabeth was off in a reverie, and didn't hear.

"Look at that glass! And wow…" she whistled. "That is some shape. Feminine, but strong. It's the wide base…or maybe it's the building materials? I mean, metal is so…punk or whatever, and glass is so ballerina. Especially _tinted _glass…"

Thalia rolled her eyes. She began tugging Annabeth out of the car. "Come _on_!"

"The way that glass is cut, doesn't it remind you of the Sydney Opera House? And that asymmetric layout! It's like looking at the Coliseum."

"Do I look like I care?"

Annabeth didn't listen. "Whatever."

"We're going to be late!"

"Okay, okay, jeez. Lead the way."

"Finally!"

The inside of the building was very nice, modern and sophisticated. An upbeat pop song was playing, one that Annabeth recognized. "I've heard this song on the radio before."

There was a gorgeous African-American girl sitting behind the reception desk. "Hi, Kelli," Thalia nodded in a businesslike manner.

"Thalia." Kelli spoke as if the words had a sour taste.

"Can you ring up Luke for me? Tell him Thalia and Annabeth are here?"

"Oh, you must be Annabeth." Kelli appraised Annabeth, and then shrugged. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, Luke." A pause. "There're two girls here, Thalia and Annabeth." A longer pause. "All right. I'll get their ID and send them up." She put the phone down.

"ID, please," she held her hand out. Thalia slapped down her drivers license on the table, ignoring the waiting palm.

Kelli looked at Annabeth expectantly. Annabeth took her drivers license out of her bag and handed it to Kelli. She took a cursory glance and then gave the two back. "Floor 33. Elevators are to your right."

Thalia and Annabeth walked off, Thalia moving faster and Annabeth trying to keep up.

"Okay, that was weird. You don't like her," Annabeth said. They were in the elevator. There was no way that Kelli could hear.

"Not at all. I don't trust her. She's like…a vampire or something. And plus, she hits on anyone with a pulse and a p—"

"I get it," Annabeth cut her off. "And she hit on this Luke, too?"

"Obviously." Thalia loosened the navy blue scarf around her neck.

"Isn't that sweet; you get jealous over a guy who you don't know yet."

"It felt like I knew him, though. Like a past life," Thalia insisted. "Believe me."

Déjà-vu struck Annabeth. She remembered feeling something like that sometime recently…when was it?

"Oh, look. It's our floor." Sure enough, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to floor 33. "Ready to meet the boss?"

Annabeth laughed.

The whole floor was one office. Actually, the whole floor was one office, except for a small area surrounding the elevator doors. There was a French door right in front of them, and Thalia knocked.

Faintly (because of the thick glass, Annabeth thought) came a reply: "Come in."

Annabeth pushed the doors open and entered, only a step ahead of Thalia.

The view was gorgeous: huge windows faced her as soon as she entered. The Manhattan landscape was there to greet her. A large desk—immaculately clean, yet looking as if it was worked upon much of the time—was placed in front of a black leather chair with a man's jacket slung on the back. The chair was facing the windows, so that anyone sitting in it would see the skyline.

Annabeth thought that the chair was unoccupied, until it turned, and facing them was a young blond man with merry blue eyes.

"Hey! Thalia Grace!"

"Luke," Thalia crooned. Annabeth hid a smirk. _I wish I had a camera_.

"And this must be Annabeth…"

"Chase," Annabeth finished. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Castellan."

"Please call me Luke. I would say that Mr. Castellan is my dad, but I never knew him very well, so I won't."

"I see…Luke?"

"Thanks," Luke grinned. "So, Thalia, what brings you two here today?" Annabeth smiled again. Obviously this guy liked Thalia.

"I invited them," came a smooth voice from behind them. Annabeth and Thalia both turned at once.

Another guy stepped inside the room. Annabeth felt her eyes widening.

This guy had ink black hair and eerie but captivating golden eyes. He had a classic Greek nose—that is to say, straight. His lips were red in a way that reminded Annabeth of Snow White, but in a total guy way. He smiled…but it wasn't a completely friendly smile.

"Hello, Annabeth." His eyes bored into Annabeth's. "Thalia," he nodded at her. "I am Saturn."

"Please, have a seat," he gestured to the seats in front of the table. "Sit," he urged again.

Annabeth Chase felt a chill run down her spine.

She put it off as the air-conditioning in the room.

Unfortunately, it was a sign from her subconscious…for better or for worse?

**End Chapter.**

**A/N** Yup, yup. You hate me. I'm sorry about that, and for not updating sooner. And now that I have, it's rather short and crappy and…crappy. I'm sorry about that, too. Forgive me? :D But Saturn—and Luke Castellan—are important characters in this story. Normally I hate the Roman names, but for once, they came in handy…

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me…even though I took so long. And if you're a new reader (I doubt that any of you are, but just in case, y'know?) then welcome!

Review, please! :D

**V**


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